A volunteer from Ickenham has been awarded with a British Empire Medal for her services to the Sikh community.

Harbans Sidhu, 57, worked with the charity United Sikhs to help hundreds of Indian nationals to return home.

She said: “It all started with an influx of immigrants, some of them were desperate people. I thought: 'This could be my son on the street'.

“Initially we starting giving them clothing and food but then we found some of them wanted to go home.

"So I started calling the Home Office. It took a lot of meetings, leg-work, convincing, influencing but we've sent over 300 people home now.”

Ms Sidhu, who tragically lost her husband and brought up their two children single-handedly, is honoured in recognition of her hard work.

She said: “I didn't expect anything, everyone helps other people. I felt a bit shaken, that somebody is recognising what I do."

Humble Ms Sidhu, who says volunteering is “part of who she is” was nominated by the Home Office for the achievement.

United Sikhs handing travel documents to a voluntary departee, for his return to India

She explains what it's like when an Indian national is returned to their family: “I can't tell you the feeling, I can't describe the good feeling.

“I feel like my life is worth living when you've helped someone and you make a change to their life.

“We just did it all quietly and we didn't know that somebody upstairs is watching us.”

United Sikhs are based within the Ealing community, attending the Singh Sabha Gurdwara.

Ms Sidhu acted as a crucial conduit between Immigration Enforcement (IE) and individuals, arranging paperwork and meeting IE staff to progress cases. She spent her free time counselling individuals, reassuring their travel arrangements.

She added: “There are no opportunities for these people India, they aren't educated. So they came here for economic reasons. The minute you hand them a ticket and they can go back home, their eyes just fill with tears and it's such a reward for me.”

After already giving seven years of volunteering, Ms Sidhu hopes to continue helping people, now as a qualified mediator.